


Mark-6

by ras_elased



Series: Android Coleslaw AU [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, M/M, Mutual Pining, stupid old men get your shit together and admit you love each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-05 12:49:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4180440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ras_elased/pseuds/ras_elased
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They've been tentatively calling it the "Mark-6," the brainchild offspring of Levi and Hanji's surprisingly productive collaboration on Rogue Titan's weapons systems. Neither of them are engineers. Hanji's primary love is biology, but she has a strong aptitude for applied science and a brilliantly creative mind, and Levi has been in the guts of enough Jaegers to have a solid understanding of the mechanics. But most of the drafting has been done by Moblit or, on occasion, Armin, because Hanji lacks the patience for detailed planning and Levi lacks the technical jargon. </p><p>There are other engineers who've taken up the mantle of Jaeger designer in the wake of Grisha's death, and they've been submitting a steady stream of designs for Erwin's consideration. And while they're good designs, they all lack Levi's knowledge of fighting tactics and Hanji's knowledge of Kaiju anatomy. Erwin had approved the final draft of their Jaeger design, certain he'd made the right choice.</p><p>Now, the Jaeger sits in the middle of the Shatterdome, a very expensive pile of scrap.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mark-6

**Author's Note:**

> Probably a good idea to read Part 1 first, otherwise this won't make much sense. :)

They've been tentatively calling it the "Mark-6," the brainchild offspring of Levi and Hanji's surprisingly productive collaboration on Rogue Titan's weapons systems. Neither of them are engineers. Hanji's primary love is biology, but she has a strong aptitude for applied science and a brilliantly creative mind, and Levi has been in the guts of enough Jaegers to have a solid understanding of the mechanics. But most of the drafting has been done by Moblit or, on occasion, Armin, because Hanji lacks the patience for detailed planning and Levi lacks the technical jargon. 

There are other engineers who've taken up the mantle of Jaeger designer in the wake of Grisha's death, and they've been submitting a steady stream of designs for Erwin's consideration. And while they're good designs, they all lack Levi's knowledge of fighting tactics and Hanji's knowledge of Kaiju anatomy. Erwin had approved the final draft of their Jaeger design, certain he'd made the right choice.

Now, the Jaeger sits in the middle of the Shatterdome, a very expensive pile of scrap.

The project had been about 70% complete when the directive came down from the central government. The Jaeger Program is being shut down in favor of the coastal wall. All new funding is ceased and current funding scaled back over a number of months while the program is dismantled piece by piece, the Jaegers "retired" and sent to the graveyard of Oblivion Bay, while the workers are sent to await their deaths behind the false protection of a coastal wall.

Erwin had gotten the news that morning, and construction had immediately ground to a halt. Now, he sits in the shell of the Conn Pod, the detritus of mid-completion littering the small room. He's created a seat for himself out of boxes and machinery. He's not sure how long he's been sitting here, but outside this room the Shatterdome is eerily silent. He can hear the faint scrape of resin and metal as he drags the prototype helmet across the floor and into his lap. He props it on his knees and stares into the emptiness of the visor. He doesn't look up when he hears a faint scuff of work boots outside the door. There's only one person who would think to look for him here, wallowing in self-pity instead of hard at work in his office.

"Hello, Levi."

From the corner of his eye, he sees Levi's silhouette lean against the open doorway. "I brought comfort food," he says in lieu of a greeting, and when Erwin looks up Levi holds out a bag of chips. 

One corner of Erwin's mouth turns up in a weak attempt at a smile, and Erwin is surprised Levi is able to pull even that much from him. "Thank you, but I've already got that covered," he says, and holds up the half-empty bag of potato chips resting at his hip.

Levi's answer is to wordlessly produce his other hand, holding a six pack of beer.

Erwin chuckles despite himself and reaches out to brush the debris from the box next to him. "I'm certainly not one to look a gift horse in the mouth right now," he says. "Have a seat."

Levi picks his way across the room and deposits the beer and chips between them before he takes the seat. He twists the top off of a beer and hands it to Erwin before opening another for himself. Erwin wonders if Levi even realizes it when he makes small gestures like that, or if it's just an unconscious display of affection. 

They drink together in comfortable silence. Erwin leans against the console at his back and lets himself breathe for a moment. The situation hasn't changed, but with Levi at his side, it feels a little less dour, like Erwin doesn't have to shoulder the burden alone. _Share the load,_ he thinks, remembering his first lessons on Drifting, and taps his beer against the helmet in thought.

Eren has been with them two years now. Erwin thinks bitterly that in another year, Eren would have been able to legally drink the champagne they serve after a successful Kaiju battle. In just a few months, he would have been able to see the successful completion of the first in a whole new generation of Jaegers to carry on his father's legacy.

Erwin drains the last of his beer and Levi opens another without being asked. Erwin hesitates a moment before he takes it, then just holds it in his hand. He thinks of the five letters of resignation he'd found on his desk an hour after the news broke. There will probably be more waiting when he goes back to his office.

"You should go," he says, eyes fixed on the bottle so he doesn't have to look at Levi. "The PPDC is guaranteeing ration cards to all workers on the wall. I still have a little pull, and you have construction experience. I can probably get jobs reserved for you, Farlan, and Isabel."

There is a long, heavy pause before Levi speaks. "I'll pass the word along to them in case they want to go. But I'm good here."

Erwin turns to peer at Levi's profile. "Levi, it's just a job. In a few months they're shutting us down."

Levi takes a long pull of his beer. "Then we've got a few months," he says. He turns his head to meet Erwin's eyes. "You're going to fight this, Erwin. I'm not saying we'll win. But I know you, and you're going to fight this."

The sharp steel of Levi's voice adds a spark to the bitter, angry fire that's been running through Erwin's veins since he got the news. He would be lying if he said he hadn't already been considering his options. If the tiny fringe group of the Kaiju cult has enough well-off donors to build elaborate cathedrals, surely Erwin could gather that kind of financial backing from the much larger private sector. And if things go south, there are less above-board ways of securing funds. He imagines Hanji might still have some contacts from her days working with Kaiju worshippers and the black market Kaiju trade during her research, before her work drew Erwin's attention...

But in the end, it would only be a stop gap measure. Erwin needs a plan that will give him an endgame. Finishing the Jaeger is pointless if it's just going to be sent to rust in Oblivion Bay.

He looks down once more at the helmet on his knees, and he can't help the way this thoughts turn wistful. "I admit," he says, voice quiet, "I sometimes envisioned this as your Jaeger."

Levi's mouth twists wryly against the lip of the beer bottle. "Yeah, I kind of figured."

Erwin's eyebrows lift. He's used to Levi having a sort of instinctive insight to his thoughts, but he's still surprised. "How so?"

Levi gives him a sidelong glare. "You had us install optional extenders to the boot clamps, asshole."

Erwin's lips stretch into a wide grin. "I have no idea what you mean. I was simply trying to offer some practical advice." In truth, he'd only made the suggestion to get a reaction out of Levi, and he hadn't been disappointed.

"Tch," Levi scoffs, but Erwin catches the hint of an answering smile Levi tries to hide behind another swallow of beer. "Let me see that," he says, and reaches to take the helmet from Erwin's lap.

He ponders it for a moment, just as Erwin had, then with a casual flip of his wrist he turns the helmet and slips it down over his head. "Alright, you satisfied?"

Levi's grey eyes look out from behind the glass visor of the helmet, and Erwin feels a sudden lump form in his throat. Erwin knows in the depths of his soul that Levi would be beautiful at the helm of a Jaeger. He would turn a hulking 300-foot mass of gears and metal into lithe, deadly grace. The Kaiju wouldn't stand a chance.

He swallows once, hard, and says, "You look perfect."

Erwin feels a sudden, bone-deep need to make this a reality. He aches for it. He tells himself he wants this for Levi, to give him the gift of this higher purpose, but in truth Erwin would be doing it for his own sake. This is Erwin's dream, but no one's ever accused Erwin of being an unselfish man. 

Levi goes still, and his eyes study Erwin from behind the visor. Erwin has known many men who flinch at the sharp steel grey of that gaze, like the cut of a knife. But Erwin never has. In the beginning, he knew no matter how deep that gaze cut, it wouldn't dig out any of his secrets unless he gave them up. Now, he's learned to welcome the way that gaze cuts him to the core.

Levi's eyes narrow, as if in consideration, before he turns away. He stands and walks a few short feet away, bends to pick up the second helmet from the floor. He crosses back to stand in front of Erwin and settles the helmet down over Erwin's head. Levi's hands linger on either side of the helmet, the ghost of a touch, and Erwin looks up. Even with Erwin still seated, Levi isn't very much taller. The way the helmet is shaped cuts off his peripheral vision, narrows his world down to the view of Levi in front of him. Erwin's breath catches in his chest. He doesn't dare to hope that this gesture means what he wants it to mean. But he's asked before, and Levi has always said no.

"You'll think of something, Erwin," Levi says. "You always do."

Levi leans forward and mimics touching their foreheads together with a gentle clack of their helmets. Erwin marvels that an instrument used to create a connection between two people can feel so much like a barrier. He reaches up to touch his fingers to Levi's, a small attempt to bridge the gap.

There's no power to the helmets, but Erwin suddenly yearns to flip the switch, to get a glimpse inside Levi's mind and know if this...if it's just him. Or if maybe Levi feels it too.

He thinks of the impending shut down, of the uphill battle with no solid plan and no guarantee of victory, and considers giving it up. He allows himself to consider what he would become, if he's no longer the Marshal of a Shatterdome. Without the burden of protecting humanity, would he simply try to make the most of his life before the inevitable fall of the coastal wall? Would he be free to pursue the things he wants, just for himself?

It's a dangerous thought—almost as dangerous as thinking about a future free of the threat of the Kaiju. In his weakest moments, though, sometimes those thoughts trickle in. He imagines, sometimes, that on the day they win the war against the Kaiju, he'll ask Levi out for coffee.

It's ironic, then, that Levi is the one to remind him of his duty.

Erwin summons his will and pulls back. Levi's hands fall away. Erwin reaches up and hooks his thumb under the chin of the helmet, pulling it off. When he looks up again, Levi is staring down at him, brows furrowed. It takes Erwin a moment to realize he's waiting to follow Erwin's lead.

"I have work to do," Erwin says. "You're right. I shouldn't view this as more than a set back. There are funds available outside the resources of the PDCC." He stands as he speaks, brushing a few potato chip crumbs from his uniform. "I need to start putting together a plan of action. I'll let everyone take today as a holiday, but tomorrow we should all get back to work."

Levi takes a step back, hands at his sides, a strangely blank look on his face. But after a moment he reaches up and takes the helmet off, settling it between his hip and the crook of his elbow. He nods. "Of course," he says, but he doesn't meet Erwin's eyes.

Erwin pauses, considering, but the moment passes. He moves towards the door, brushing past Levi as he goes, but stops when he feels a hand on his wrist. Erwin turns, but Levi is looking off into the room, his back to Erwin.

"Stay," Levi says, and Erwin wonders if anyone else would be able to detect the request hidden under the authoritative tone. "At least finish your beer." Erwin follows Levi's gaze to the nearly full beer next to his former seat. When he still doesn't move, Levi peels his hand from Erwin's wrist and moves back to his own spot. He opens a fresh beer and finally lifts his eyes to Erwin's as he takes a sip. "Like you said, you're giving them all the day. Take a day for yourself." There's something off about the forced casualness of Levi's tone, and Erwin imagines it might be burying a hint of reproach.

Erwin watches him for a moment more. He thinks about the contacts he needs to make, the plan he needs to refine. Then he looks at Levi, watches the way his slender fingers grip the bottle and the way he's purposely not looking back at Erwin, and he thinks that maybe, just for today, he can indulge the idea of not being the Marshal of a Shatterdome.

Erwin doesn't say anything as he walks back to Levi's side. But as he sits down, he watches the tension bleed from Levi's shoulders, and Levi cuts a glance at him as he holds out the bag of chips. Erwin reaches in and takes a handful.

He leans down to pick up his abandoned beer, and he notices it's left a condensation ring on the blueprints resting at his feet. There are notes in Levi's neat block print, but he sees something else that catches his eye, written in Hanji's distinctive messy scrawl. It's difficult to make it out, and it seems like nonsense, so he turns to Levi and says, "Android Coleslaw?"

"We're not calling it that," Levi replies immediately, in the tone of a man who is getting very sick of repeating himself.

Erwin smiles and takes a swig of his beer.

**Author's Note:**

> Soooooo I originally called their Jaeger "Android Coleslaw" as a joke but now I kind of love it so it's happening, I don't care if it's ridiculous. :)
> 
> (Also I know, I totally have to write part 3 where they actually Drift and have the sexytimes, it's happening.)


End file.
